A contractor drilling near a San Rafael hospital accidentally punched into a buried high-pressure oxygen line Tuesday morning, setting off a 90-minute scramble that saw ambulances diverted and hospital staff bracing for a possible evacuation of patients who depend on continuous oxygen. San Rafael firefighters were dispatched at 9:06 a.m. to the hospital campus at 99 Montecillo Road, where the damaged line ran between the main hospital building and an adjacent maintenance structure.
The line that was struck extended from a large oxygen storage tank and fed the hospital's supply, according to Patch. As crews worked to contain the breach, hospital officials diverted incoming ambulances to other area hospitals and put the emergency department on divert status while responders brought in portable oxygen tanks to keep the facility's supply running, per SFGATE.
Crews Prepare for a Evacuation That Never Came
Hospital officials prepared for the possibility of evacuating critically ill patients who require continuous oxygen, but the portable tanks ultimately helped avoid that outcome. Administrators determined that the backup supply had stabilized hospital operations and that an evacuation was unnecessary, the same report notes. The response drew San Rafael fire engines, a ladder truck, ambulance units, police and a drone, along with personnel from other regional fire and emergency services agencies, SFGATE reported.
The Marin County Hazardous Materials team joined San Rafael firefighters to repair the damaged line and eliminate the risk of an oxygen-fueled fire. After about 90 minutes, the hazmat team located and secured the damaged oxygen line, bringing the most acute phase of the emergency under control, according to the Patch report.
Second Leak Traced to a Steam Pipe
Even after the oxygen line was secured, responders continued to see vapor escaping into the atmosphere, raising concern that the danger wasn't fully resolved. Further investigation determined that the remaining leak was actually coming from an adjacent high-pressure steam pipe rather than the oxygen line itself, the outlet's report states. Crews secured that steam pipe as well, finally bringing the emergency to an end.
The San Rafael Fire Department reported no injuries from the incident and did not provide an estimate of the damage. Those remain the only details authorities have released about the aftermath.
Similar Scares Have Hit Hospitals Elsewhere
Utility strikes near hospital oxygen and gas lines aren't unique to Marin County. Just weeks earlier, on Wednesday, September 9, a contractor coring for a sprinkler pipe hit a gas line at Bluewater Health's Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital in Petrolia, Ontario, forcing the evacuation of fifteen patients from the emergency department and acute care, according to The Observer. Ambulances there were redirected to a sister hospital in Sarnia for roughly three hours while the Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department and Enbridge Gas crews shut off and capped the broken pipe. No one required medical treatment in that incident, and patients were later safely returned to their rooms once firefighters confirmed the air was clear and there was no danger of fire or explosion.
In San Rafael, the quick work by the Marin County Hazardous Materials team and the use of portable oxygen tanks appear to have kept Tuesday's incident from escalating into a full evacuation like the one in Petrolia. The exact cause of the drilling error and whether any follow-up action is planned has not been detailed by officials.
